The defender left the club in January, but was called back to say a proper goodbye ahead of their Europa League tie this evening

By Michael Golson

8th March 2018,9:47 pm

Updated: 9th March 2018,3:41 pm

It’s fair to say that Borussia Dortmund fans are among the very best in the world.

After all, Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion is frequently filled to the brim, and even when angry fans boycott matches (like they did against Ausburg last week) they still boast 65,000 supporters in their 81,000-capacity ground.

And fans of the club were at their very best this evening ahead of their Europa League clash against Salzburg.

Before kick-off, they were given the chance to bid an emotional farewell to Marc Bartra, who left the German side for Real Betis back in January.

The Spaniard – who was club captain for a little while – was called back to his former side ahead of tonight’s game so he could receive a proper send off.

And it was awesome, just take a look.

The 27-year-old left the club to enhance his chances of making Spain’s World Cup squad this summer, having fallen down the pecking order under new coach Peter Stoger, who replaced Peter Bosz in December.

The defender joined them from Barcelona in 2016, and made 49 appearances.

Ahead of the welcome back, Bartra said: “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to visit my old teammates at a home game again so soon after leaving and to say goodbye to the fantastic Dortmund fans.

“We experienced and went through a lot together, so I’m sure it’ll be a very emotional moment on Thursday, and I’m really looking forward to it.”